"Volare (Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu)" - Domenico Modugno
Hit Number 1: August 18, 1958
Stay at Number 1: 5 Weeks
Believe it or not, the top song of 1958 was not rock and roll, by a teen idol, or even in English. Nope, the top song of the year was a song sung in Italian about painting your face blue, and flying high in the sky. It's pretty strange to say the least.
Modugno was born in 1958 to a municipal police commander, and his mom was a housewife. Before becoming a full-time singer, Modugno played in several films as an actor. In 1957, he had a hit called "Lazzarella" which brought him his first taste of popularity, but it was a year later, when Modugno produced this song, that he really hit it big. I guess the whole world wanted to paint themselves blue and fly. That must be the dream life.
"Volare" is a "dreamy" sounding song, and I have to be honest, it's actually a pretty song. There's some neat piano to accompany it throughout, and Modugno has a rich sounding voice. It's not an easy thing to do, to take a corny as hell song and actually make it sound decent, but Modugno was able to pull it off. Another thing about the song, is that it is memorable, and not in a bad way. It's a pretty well-constructed song.
Modugno was still popular in Italy for years to come, but his success in the U.S. was only with that one song. Way later in his life, he suffered a heart attack and had to leave his artistic career in the rearview mirror. He actually later joined the Italian Parliament for about 4 years, and then died of a heart attack in 1994.
His success in the U.S. was brief, and over here, he is remebered for this silly song. But it could have been worse. Much worse. "Volare" is a decent song.
GRADE: 7/10
THE TWOS:
The Everly Brothers' fun song "Bird Dog" peaked at #2 behind "Volare (Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu)". It's an 8.
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